WHITTIER – Most of the now-vacant auto dealerships would be placed in zoning allowing for commercial use.

It’s part of a proposal city officials and RBF Consulting – the company hired to amend or tweak the Whittier Boulevard Specific Plan – have drafted.

They’re also proposing a new, more compact district to replace the auto dealer area that would allow for a mixed use of commercial and residential development.

City officials say change is needed because the current zoning in that area only allows limited use – an auto-related use, such an auto dealership or a store that is at least 30,000 square feet.

This new district would be from Strub Avenue to Mills Avenue, with shopping areas shifting west and east to those boundaries.

A planned residential area from Scott Avenue to Mills would be deleted.

These plans were revealed at a workshop Thursday to gather comment from developers, property owners and those interested in the future of Whittier Boulevard.

Don Dooley, planning services manager, said the changes from residential to commercial makes sense because the areas are more compatible with the latter.

“With the amount of traffic and noise (around Colima), it doesn’t make sense for residential neighborhoods,” Dooley said.

In addition, the demand for commercial space has increased because of the success of the renovated Whittwood Town Center, he said.

Jeff Collier, director of community development, said it also makes sense to allow for more flexible development in what has been called the “new district” that is replacing the auto dealer area.

The now-closed Whittier Mitsubishi and the existing Whittier Toyota would fall into that area.

“There’s a recognition that some of the commercial businesses that are viable could be compatible with a mix of residential and commercial,” Collier said.

Collier said city officials and the consultant also want to get comment on these, so they can take the ideas to the City Council and Planning Commission in August at what would be a joint study session.

The goal is to complete the process with a new plan going to the City Council by the end of this year, Collier said.

Some developers and others asked for more flexibility in the plan.

“Instead of creating a framework and telling people what it should be (the city should) research to see what the market really needs and design it around that,” said Lou Smaldino, owner of Victory Plaza at 13605 Whittier Blvd.

“You’re putting this structure around the entire marketplace that is saying this piece of land can be a multi-unit apartment, but this piece of ground right next to it has to be commercial,” Smaldino said. “If you happen to be on the wrong side of the line, you’ve got real problems.”

Collier said the original plan allows for much more housing than before it was approved in 2005.

Jason Jamison, president of GM Properties, said he also wants some change.

“They need to have policies that can be flexible and adaptive to the market,” he said.

Ron Ridout, owner of Realty Executives Cornerstone, said he would have expanded the commercial area (or shopping cluster) even more.

“The Quad is the most successful shopping center in town,” Ridout said.

“The influence of the Quad is much greater than the plan gives it credit for,” he said. “I would have extended (the commercial area) to Gunn Avenue.”

The five-year-old Specific Plan, a 294-page document, was designed to enable the street to gradually evolve from a hodgepodge strip of retail shops into a street of six well-defined districts.

Mike Sprague started at the Whittier Daily News in April 1984. Since then, Sprague has covered every city in the Whittier Daily News circulation area, as well as political and water issues. Sprague received a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree in political science, both from Cal State Fullerton.